Process to Legally Obtain Medical Cannabis

What is the process for legally obtaining medical cannabis in the State of Maryland?

Maryland Residents:

Step 1: Register as a patient with MMCC

Adult Patients (18+ years of age):

​To prepare for registration, please review the Process Overviewfor registering as a patient.​

Minor Patients (Under 18 years of age):Minor patients are required to have at least one caregiver assigned to their accounts at all times. Only parents or legal guardians 21 years of age and older are eligible to serve as caregivers for minor patients.Caregivers must register with the Commission prior to registering the minor patient. Registering a minor patient requires additional forms, one of which must be notarized, so please review carefully the requirements in the Process Overview and Quick Reference Card documents for registering a minor patient.

Step 2: Obtain a written certification from a provider registered with the Commission

Once registered, patients must obtain a valid written certification from a provider registered with the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission. The patient is required by law to have a bona fide provider-patient relationship with the provider and the provider must approve medical cannabis as a treatment option for the patient for a qualifying medical condition. Qualifying medical conditions include cachexia,
anorexia, wasting syndrome, severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures,
severe or persistent muscle spasms, glaucoma, post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), or another chronic medical condition which is severe and for
which other treatments have been ineffective.

The Provider Registry is open and the Commission encourages providers to register. Any provider with an active, unrestricted license in good standing with their corresponding board and actively registered to prescribe controlled substances in Maryland is eligible to register with MMCC.

When both the patient and provider are registered with MMCC, the provider will need the patient’s MMCC-issued Patient ID Number to issue the certification for medical cannabis through the Commission’s secure online application.

​Step 3: Visit a licensed Maryland dispensary

After registering, obtaining a valid written certification from a
registered provider, and printing a temporary MMCC Patient ID card, patients
are able to visit licensed Maryland dispensaries to purchase medical cannabis.

When purchasing medical cannabis at a licensed dispensary, patients will be
required to present their MMCC ID card. The dispensary agent will verify the
patient’s certification in the Commission’s database before conducting any
transaction.

Patients
may only purchase and obtain a maximum of a thirty-day supply of medical
cannabis at one time. Please note: A certification that is not
used to purchase medical cannabis, at a licensed dispensary in the state of
Maryland, within 120 days of issuance becomes null and void.​